Look!!!

I’m up on the Venus Press coming soon page!!

The last I heard was the book with be out in February, though I’m still waiting on edits. I love this cover. I have a super cool banner, too, but I’m still working on a place for it.

Ten authors. Ten distinct stories. Seven days of the Winter Wishes Anthology.

The authors of the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Winter Wishes Anthology are holding one mighty chat to end all chats starting December 26, 2006.

Each day, authors will provide excerpts, answer questions, give sneak peeks and give away prizes in the lead up to the anthologies release. Get your questions ready for the various authors and don’t miss out on this great event!

Monday, December 26 – Barbara Baldwin and Emma Wildes
Tuesday, December 27 – Kendra Clark and Emma Sinclair
Wednesday, December 28 – Becca Furrow and Karen Mandeville
Thursday, December 29 – Tilly Greene and C’ann Inman
Friday, December 30 – Jenna Howard and Peggy Hunter
Saturday, December 31 – Free for all

The chat will be held at the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Readers loop and you must be a member to view.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCPtorridreaders/

Maybe a half an inch-ish, but definately not much. I’d have to go outside to get a real measurement and that’s not happening. It’s cold!

A perfect day to huddle in the editing cave.

Blech.

Actually, I’m doing my final round of edits on a book that I’d already thought was finished. I guess it’s a good idea that I decided to read through it one last time before sending it off into the cruel world.

I have notes like, “CHECK THIS OUT” for facts and “ADD LOVE SCENE HERE.” Plus, I’m missing an ending. How did I manage to write a book and not end it?

That’s not true. I’m sure I wrote the ending - an epilogue. I remember because I tied in several things from earilier in the book. There was a time that all my loose ends were in a nice little bundle, but apparently I lost it ’cause it’s certainly not there now.

I’m not sure this book has a future anyway though. It’s OLD, and while I love the story, there’s just something - meh - about the writing in places. I’ve tried to fix it, and I have improved most of it, but there are still just some parts that are - meh.

Oh well, I can hope that an editor will love the good parts and help me to fix the - meh - parts.

After it has an ending and one last love scene.

Well, I was having a good day until I had a major case of the stupids and closed my browser before saving my blog post. So, here’s take 2.

I’m the #7 bestseller at WCP Torrid for November!!!

Need proof? Click here. I was trying to do a screen capture, but couldn’t really figure that out.

Now, you may be thinking that #7 doesn’t seem that high on the list, BUT this is the only proof I have that someone other than my mother has actually purchased my book.

The interesting this is, earlier this morning (before I got on the ‘puter) I was thinking about how 7 was most people’s lucky number. And I was thinking that if I had to pick a lucky number I’d have a hard time. I like 8 (’cause it can be used as a verb) but I was born on the 7th in ‘77.

I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but 7 was heavy on my mind this morning. And now, that’s me!!

AND to make my day even better, my interview is up at FAR.

I had fun with it, but now I’m kind of worried that I came off as a bit of a nerd. But those of you that come here regularly know that I am a bit of a nerd. Oh well.

I may be a nerd, but I’m still #7!!

I was totally confused for a minute. I have one of those big desk calendars where you have to fill in your own dates and I’d made November have 31 days. Oops. Luckily I managed to get December right.

Because I have nothing better to blog about today I figured I’d make myself a list of the things I need to get done before the end of the year. I love lists. I wouldn’t exactly call these goals, just things that really need to get done. I don’t like goals. Goals you can fail at. Things on a list you just don’t get crossed off.

This week
Finish short story (needs about 3–5000 words but I know exactly where I’m going and with a little luck will finish today).
Work on short story/novella (I’m not really sure if this one will be a short story or a novella or something else yet. Needs work).
Finish revisions and submit (I thought I was finished with revisions but turns out I’d only done chaps 1-3, darn it!)
Finish one knitting project and start another (then go to craft store for more yarn.)

Oh, who am I kidding. I can’t think any farther than that. So, here’s my Wednesday morning list. What’s yours?

Actually, it’s more like stupid internet connection.

It’s the internet connection that wasn’t. For the last few days I’ve been able to visit one page before it dies and even that is SUPER slow.

This morning got up early to shower just in case they shut off the water again. I can deal with them turning off the hot water, but sometime yesterday afternoon, and into the early evening they shut off the cold water too. I REALLY can’t handle having no water at all. It really emphasizes how often I actually wash my hands when I can’t do it.

But, in my unwashed, no internet and cranky state yesterday, I managed twelve pages of a new story. And they’re twelve pages of doing no research. Since he’s a parachute jumper (see I don’t even know what to call him) I have a lot of, he pulled the thing that did the other thing.

I realized I was kind of freaking about nothing. The Amber Heat thing only has to be 5,000-12,000 words and I think the VP project was 25,000-40,000 (I think) which even if I wrote max on both only leaves me 2,000 words above NaNo pace and I’ve got 2 months to work.

Granted, I’ve got to write and edit, but with projects that short I shouldn’t have to edit THAT much - (and that could have just been the kiss of death for me. I’m knocking on wood now).

It’s so infrequent that I can actually put something in the writing - practice catagory, I couldn’t resist the chance today.

Yesterday I finished the second book in the fate series. Since the first one is still being shopped around, I think I’ll take a break and work on some other stuff before the third fate book. I want to make sure the first two have a good home before I work on number 3.

Anyway, now I’m in that limbo where I get to figure out what I want to work on next.

My goal for the end of the year is to finish two more projects. One for the Amber heat contest and another for VP. (That sound you hear is the sound of my hysterical laughter).

To be fair, I think both are short (though I should probably check on that) so it may be doable, but a little rough considering it’s November 8 and I have no ideas.

Regardless though, once I come up with ideas, I think I’m going to *gasp* plot.

I know, I know, I have no idea how to plot, but I think I’m going to try anyway. Or at least write the synopsis first. Maybe try an outline or something. But damn it, I need idea’s first!

How come they’re a dime a dozen when I don’t have time to work on anything else, and as soon as it’s time to start a new project they all fly out the window? Anybody have any ideas?

Oh, and by the way, Kate tagged me several days ago, but I’m finding this particular meme challenging. Perhaps I’ll be able to procrastinate - I mean finish it - today.

So when the Hubster came home last night, the cold had moved to his chest. So he sounded like Barry White. Hee Hee. Funny, but now I’ve got Barry White stuck in my head.

I realized the other day that for a writing blog, I don’t really talk much about writing.

Ah well, whataya gonna do?

I think part of the reason is because it’s not going well. Writing lately has been like pulling teeth. I kind of get down on myself thinking that I should be able to average 15 pages/day every day.

And lets just say that lately, I haven’t. I don’t think I’ve written more than 8 pages/day in two weeks. But still I’ve got close to 60 pages of work to show for two weeks. That’s not to shabby.

I think I have to remind myself that some stories are harder to write than others. No matter what.

I’m having trouble with this story because I’m balancing a very fine line, trying to keep it lightish while the hero has bascially had his life ripped apart. I assume you can see my problem.

But, I’m also trying to write a much cleaner first draft.

While in the past I’d have a lot of “INSERT APPROPRIATE WORD HERE” this time I’m trying to actually take the time to think of the word I’m looking for.

Anyway…don’t they say, slow and steady wins the race…baby.

* First, I love all the Halloween memories but I don’t want to comment ’cause then that’ll mess up the “choose a number” way of picking a winner. Jen, that sounds like fun. Steph, your story brought a tear to my eye, it sounds so special! And of course any story involving candy is good - isn’t that why Halloween is such a great holdiay?

* SOLD - Part 5!! I just got offered a contract for Sping Break Fling, a short story to be included in Torrid’s Spring Fling Anthology to be released…yeah, I should check on that. (**Just checked, it’s April 2006). That brings my releases to: Nov, Jan, March, April and TBD (but probably summer). Geez, no wonder I’m tired.

* I’m actually been writing A LOT. I had a false start on a short story which wasted a week, but I’m not on Book 2 of a 3 book series of Novellas. With a little luck I’ll finish Book 2 before I head off to Hawaii and then I’m not sure how much writing I’ll get done there. I’m taking the laptop but have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of writing by hand as I sit on the beach and drink drinks with umbrellas in them.

* Attn: Fellow Gonnabeez! Don’t forget to check out this month’s Buzz. Not only because Jen always does a great job but because there’s an interview with me! It’s my first one and I tried to be entertaining.

* There’s still time to tell me about your favorite Halloween memory and win fun Halloween stuff! Click here.

Finished the first draft of my novella last night!! Yay!! Managed 30 pages to get through the end!

I still want to know WHY I can’t do that every day, but that’s not what this post is about.

I had a lot of trouble figuring out where to end this sucker.

I had a (vague) outline. More of a list really of things I had to wrap up, things I had to explain, etc. And as I went through, it kept getting longer and longer and longer.

And I really couldn’t finish it entirely because I realized that if I went with the way I had planned my hero and heroine would have been brother and sister. Can anybody say “Ew.”

So, I’m back to the drawing board on a way to make my hero immortal.

My husband asked this question: Why does he have to be immortal.

Can’t they just be together for now and then leave the rest unsaid? I said No, but I want your opinions. I mean I suppose if I were writing straight erotica, the “happy for now” would be fine.

But I realized that the “happy for now” in some books, always translates into my mind as “happily ever after.” Doesn’t “happy for now” have to at least have the possibility of “happily ever after?” Your thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

But anyway, the 20 pages I thought that it was gonig to take to wrap up the book turned into 30 and it’s mostly dialogue so I think I need some layering, which is going to add even more pages (not that it matters- ah, the beauty of epubbing).

But (I use that word too much) The End has come, and for that I’m happy. I’ll probably spend the rest of the week editing (Aggghhh) what I wrote last week and hopefully get those babies subbed.

Hmmm, then do I go back to the stuff I should be working on, or write the sequels? Decisions…decisions…